For this particular image, I double processed it with Niks' Silver Effex 2. I am fairly happy with the results. I like the colors on the original, which I may post at some point.
12/31/11
For this particular image, I double processed it with Niks' Silver Effex 2. I am fairly happy with the results. I like the colors on the original, which I may post at some point.
Summer of 2010, I had a Canon 40D, 17-40L and a 50mm 1.8. I would just keep it on AF and not really think about anything. Sure it was in manual mode, but still. I had always wanted to get a full frame camera, but of course it would cost me quite a bit more to get a FF body. I think my 40D was worth $500, and the two lenses maybe $700 combined. So theoretically I could get a full frame, but then have no lenses. After some research on the FredMiranda Alternative Forums, I was stoked. I never realized that there were so many amazing lenses for so cheap. Obviously you sacrifice autofocus and exif data, but oh well. I learned photography on film, so I have already some experience writing info down, such as film speed, aperture and focal length — all stuff I would still need to.
So I sold my camera and lenses and finally found a 1Ds in summer of 2010 and bought an OM Zuiko 28mm 3.5 with a fotodiox adapter to mount it onto the body. It is a sharp lens, but I look back at the pictures from that, and I still didn't grasp using manual focus. For some reason, I sold all my gear at the end of September 2010 - even my tripod — only to repurchase photo gear in late January 2011. I went as far as to buy another 40D and a Tamron 17-35 2.8-4, but never even used them, as I was going to regret going from full frame to a crop body.
Off it went to eBay and on FredMirandas' excellent buy and sell forums, and I picked up another 1Ds in February 2011. I must say the sensor on this one is MUCH cleaner than on my old one, plus I am much harder on this body than on my first 1Ds. I found an OM Zuiko 24mm 2.8 locally (by chance!) for like $120. I used that and picked up a Samyang (Rokinon) 85mm 1.4 to mess around with. For anyone who doesn't know this by now, Samyang is NO JOKE! The 85mm 1.4 is like $260 at Amazon.com, brand new. This lens is so AMAZINGLY sharp, it is rediculous. It is manual focus, but who cares:). Samyang also makes a 35mm 1.4, 14mm 2.8 and I think they are coming out with a 24mm 1.4.
After several months of using this combo, I came across the Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC. I hadn't heard much about it, and I ended up outbidding one other person on eBay. I got the lens for $130 shipped to my door. I was told that this lens would not come close to the performance of the Zuiko 24mm, but I wanted to try it out. Even Ken Rockwell gave it a great review - even though I don't follow that guy. I didn't realize that the lens I got was in Nikon mount, so I have a fotodiox Nikon to EOS adapter. Pretty "alt" if you ask me.
Soon after shooting "Weeping Walls", the Zuiko was on eBay. I didn't sell it because I found it to be lacking after using the Tokina, I sold it due to I would seriously not use it that much, as I like wide angles for landscapes. It is a phenomenal lens! Now I am thinking of adding a Zuiko 28mm 3.5 to my kit, as 17mm is too wide for a lot of things. The 28mm 3.5 averages about $45 on eBay or on craigslist. Pretty crazy!
I still cannot believe this combo can capture what it has! So for those of you that are reading this and worried about getting older gear, DON'T! I honestly believe that using this combo has made me grow 10000% as a photographer. Attention to every detail is imperative. It makes you slow down and take your time, even though it is digital.
Before I close this post, one last thing. Before I bought my 1Ds, I would hear the 1Ds described as being "film like", which I didn't understand. I also hear the 5D is also like that, although I haven't used a 5D. The 5D would be dead by now in the conditions I shoot in, seriously. Well, here is what "film like" is. Kinda gritty, but still good. I am hoping to upgrade to a 1Ds2 or even 1Ds3 this year (and lens), but I need to start making money before doing this:).
Until next time,
Happy New Years'
12/29/11
More changes will be coming, such as menu colors, background color, etc. The twitter link, linkedin links just go to their respective websites, as I do not have a twitter (who would follow me) and haven't started a linkedin profile; but planning to. The other links (buttons) work as they should.
Anyways, here is a shot from Abiqua Falls from last summer. Crazy how green it gets up here in the PNW, and crazy how far my post processing as come in the last few months.
12/28/11
Back to blogger I came. After some searching around, it seems that there are more and better themes for blogger that are free! I ran into some problems trying to get the themes uploaded, but I think I have figured it out. The customer service at Google sucks, but good thing there is the internet.
For now, I am keeping blogger - and it may change looks over the next few days; but atleast the images are showing up correctly.
Here is an image I posted today on my Google+
12/23/11
I will keep this updated in the meantime - until I swap over to another platform; whatever that may be.
12/22/11
Here is another take on Spirit Falls. I need to get a shot of this in the spring and in the snow/ice. The water here is deep, so venturing out with out a pelican case and some rope is not a wise decision, and I have made some dumb chances before...
Took me a bit to get the color on this one "right". The water is really quite a blueish/aqua color, so it messes with the white balance of the camera.
12/19/11
don't worry about the title of the post. Just didn't have an interesting enough name. Here is a shot from this past spring. This falls is called "Middle Ruckel Creek Falls". Kinda redundant and unoriginal, I know. The stories I heard about getting here were crazy, but they were tall tales. Getting back out to the trail was a WHOLE other story (11 hours of non-stop brutal hiking).
12/14/11
This image looks as if I used "selective color", the cheesy and oft overused gimmick for portrait shots mostly. Not the case; just the scene looked like this - being winter (almost) and all.
12/13/11
This is one I took several weeks back. I don't think I will be able to get out this weekend, but perhaps next weekend to get some new shots. The color and lighting in this one I like, as it was way early in the morning and was cold.
12/12/11
It really is interesting how sometimes I get the inspiration to go back through to certain photos, and process ones I hadn't touched previously. I believe I have posted several from Mt. Rainier in this very blog, and I know I have at several websites (500px, flickr, etc). However, I hadn't posted these two in particular.
12/8/11
I have though about shooting the scene for years, but always though "I'll take this later" - that was in 2007. As I was driving back from downtown PDX (shot the XMAS tree at the Square), I came upon this scene. All I could see was the fog at the end of this tunnel. These conditions are VERY common around here.
12/5/11
Since there are many different options to display my work, I am taking my time in getting a website up. I want to get the most (read - Best :) ) out of what I spend on a site. There are the usual suspects; Zenfolio and SmugMug. There is also BigBlackBag.com, but they charge $360 a year. With that kind of pricing, may as well pay a web designer since you pay once (usually other than the domain and such) to design a site and be done with it.
12/4/11
Sorry I have been off the grid lately. Between lack of sleep and work, been tough to process new stuff - or even get new images to process.
11/28/11
Paul and I headed out to The Gorge yesterday to attempt to get to Weeping Walls (also has been called Enchanted Gorge). We have had a lot of rain in the last week or so, and the waterfalls have come back to life. Everything is roaring.
11/24/11
First off, I want to thank everyone for checking out my blog. Although there are no comments, I am seeing that more and more people are visiting. I also want to wish everyone a Happy and blessed Thanksgiving. Although I am spending this day alone (my wife is visiting her mom in Eugene, Oregon and all my family is in Orange County), I have a lot to be thankful for.
11/19/11
As promised (and advertised :) ), yesterday I made it up to the snow. A couple of friends and I headed up to The Gifford Pinchot National Forest. That forest is amazing! It is much more rugged than the Columbia River Gorges' forests, yet it is not far from there. The waterfalls are also just as impressive!
11/16/11
Several months ago, I was doing some research on what type of weather we were going to get this year. I was unsure if we were going to get a repeat of last years' weather (lots of rain and some snow), or if it was going to be milder. Well, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outlook, we are going to be A LOT more wet and colder than normal, thanks to La Nina. What that means is that the Pacific Northwest will get much more precipitation (with colder temperatures) from November - March, and the mid-west will be a bit warmer and have drought like conditions, thanks in part to the Rockies (and Cascades).
11/14/11
Perhaps the correct name for this one? This one called to me today from my Aperture Library. I know that I am on a "waterfall kick" lately, and usually i avoid them like the plague unless it is late winter or spring time. This one is the same one I posted and called "Ipsoot falls", although I cannot make a claim to the name as I didn't' "find" it. It has been referred to as "Mowich Falls", though it has no official name.
11/13/11
I have had some down time the last few days, so it afforded me the opportunity to work on some of the shots I took on Friday. I am excited about what I have captured. All of the adventures my camera has endured the last 3-4 weeks has significantly quickened my workflow in Photoshop. I used to spend 20+ minutes cloning out the dust on the sensor, but after taking a swim in the Pacific Ocean, taking a 3 foot fall onto some rocks at Silver Falls State Park and then again rinsing off in the drink at McCord Creek, it now takes me less than 5 minutes to get rid of the dust via cloning. I LOVE that camera!! If you are in the market for a camera and you are torn between a 5D and 1Ds (or even 5D2 and 1Ds2), seriously look at the 1Ds! The 5D build quality are embarrassing for what you pay, not to mention the AF is not up to par. If you need video, then your options are limited.
So back to the images. Something recently happened to me that improved my photography. I wouldn't go as far as to say the events that happened in the movie "Phenomenon" happened to me, but after experiencing Mt. Rainier National Park and that sunrise, I have had this confidence and stuff just clicked. Perhaps it was due to the fact that using an old camera and lens that is probably as old as I am captured this event unfolding SUPERBLY and I didn't even have the aid of filters, whereas everyone else shooting with me had new gear and filters (and AF - but who shoots landscapes in AF anyways:) ).
Since that sunrise, I shoot with a "purpose", so to speak - and showing my work at the RAWArtist showcase has helped me immensely. My biggest creative block has been compositions. In any art field, you HAVE to get out of your comfort zone. The ones who separate themselves from everyone else, will adapt to their respective situations. With myself, my "comfort zone" had been waterfalls. There is something about waterfalls that I get drawn to. It isn't the ease of access hat draws me, but it was the ease of access that helped me learn how to shoot them.
Before I shot Rainier, I had very limited experience shooting mountains. I know it had a lot to do with not experiencing the "CLL"; composition, lighting and location. I just made that up:), but it is true. That is true with all landscape photography. You need these three elements to converge at the same time to really experience the essence of landscape photography. You can have an excellent location and a killer composition, but without the lighting, it is just a regular shot. You can have a killer location and once in a lifetime light, but if you have no comp... Only way (if you know of another way, please email me!) to get all three is dedication and luck. Luck is as big as the other elements. So we could label it CLLL, but it doesn't have as nice a flow, lol. If you EVER have a chance to spend multiple days out in the mountains, DO IT! You may not get that magical light - but you just might! Once you experience the excitement of a lightshow (sunrise-sunset), you will want more!
Back on track, when I first got to Rainier NP, I was out of my element. I really didn't have experience shooting in the mountains. Now it is one of my favorite places to shoot! We are planning a trip to Glacier National Park, Jasper and Banff this spring (they are so close to each other, why not?) and I cannot wait!
The whole purpose of this rant was that I hadn't ever shot fall. Can you believe this? Last year this time, I sold my camera, tripod, everything because I didn't think I would be shooting until the following spring, which was true. I sold it beginning of October, and the fall colors hit usually mid to late October. This year they are way late, but that is due to the crazy year we had - and looks like this winter/spring is going to be even more wicked!! So the river scene I am posting is an element I have not had much experience with. I have crossed so many of these scenes, but have never taken the time to shoot them. I just never have been happy with the results, but I am happy with the 30+ I took. I will be posting more this afternoon.
11/12/11
Yesterday, we headed back out to Spirit Falls on the Washington side of The Gorge. I was there last Friday, but I wanted to see the fall colors (if any) a bit more vibrant than last weeks' trip.
11/8/11
Going through my Aperture library on my computer to get rid of "garbage", it lead to me going through some old shots. Just like me to get off track - or starting another task while still in the middle of another one:).
11/7/11
I have been to this magical place many times, and in every season. I still don't have a shot of it that I am entirely happy with. I visited this place with Brian Kibbons a few weeks ago. Now I know that it is obviously too dark for details, but I like the mystery to this one.
11/6/11
I have been at this photography deal for many years. It has been really a crazy journey. My dad used to have an SLR back in the 80s. I remember him toting that around when we would go on vacation, or to the beach, park, etc. It was a Minolta, and he had several lenses, flashes; the works.
Lately, I have been pretty busy that I haven't really been able to work on photos. I have gone out shooting the last 4 full days. Between that and work, not much time to post/work photos. Add in that it was a bit of work getting all the prints and stuff ready for the PDXRaw show...
11/5/11
Today a buddy and I hit up a creek on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. This creek has many waterfalls along it, but there is absolutely NO TRAIL. I was in the water for about 5 hours, and my feet are all bruised up - but it was worth it.
11/3/11
Just got back from Spirit Falls on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. This waterfalls is like 2 miles from the Columbia River, yet you would NEVER EVER know there was this crazy waterfall hidden down here.
10/29/11
Headed to Cape Kiwanda last Tuesday to try to shoot the sunset through a cave at Kiwanda. The conditions line up only one week or so in the fall and in the spring. There has to be a low tide AND a sunset at the same tide - which any Oregonian will know that is asking a bit much for BOTH on the same day:).